How To Train Your Puppy

We at PetPeople encourage all our PetParents to learn as much as possible about pet care, food, health and grooming to enrich both their pet’s lives and their own. We scour the market for products that will help and are constantly trying to filter the best advice we can offer to our PetPeople community. Many are daunted by the prospect of researching papers or books on the topic but video tutorials and blogs can be searched and viewed at a click upon cine.pk and tune.pk. We would recommend looking up Cesar Milan and his episodes on advice to train your puppy so that he grows into an obedient and loyal friend who is a pleasure to have around. Many annoying and potentially dangerous behaviors can be trained out of dogs at a young age with the simple use of treats that can be used as an incentive to reward them when they get it right.

It is important to always let your puppy know that you are in charge. He sees you as part of his pack and he must be taught to view you as the alpha. Always walk through doors first and do not let him rush ahead. Never let him bite or scratch you without immediately saying ‘bad dog’ and removing your attention from him for about three minutes. Time passes a lot slower for dogs than it does for us. There is no need to physically hurt a pet to train it and PetPeople would never advocate beating or hitting your pet for any reason. At the most you can roll up a newspaper and whack the floor or the side of your leg to make a loud sound to scare them if they do something really risky to themselves or others.

Puppies are just like little children. They love affection, attention, praise, treats and being kept near their PetParents. They need supervision, or your favourite pair of shoes or laptop cable may pay the price for the lack of it. You can use Johnson’s Anti-Chew Training Spray on anything you would like to discourage them from chewing.

It is natural for them to teeth and chew upon anything around them to strengthen their teeth. It is far better to give them chew toys than let them chose their own from among your things. Our Kong line of chew toys have also proved extremely effective to improve their dental health care and help avoid plaque and tartar – that are just as deadly for dogs as humans. When these enter the blood stream and infiltrate internal organs they shorten the life of your beloved pet – so the better their teeth, the longer they will live. If you cannot take the time to brush your puppy’s teeth every few days then the Kong Toys may well prove a care-free alternative that is more effective than regular cleanings. Just let your pup do all the work himself!

Always reinforce positive behaviour by rewarding them with a treat to show them they did something right and that you are pleased. If they bite you, make a high pitched noise to indicate hurt and then hold them gently down on the floor with one hand in a claw stance on the side of their neck. This is how they are held down in nature to teach them submission. They cannot be allowed to bite or bark at you and must be taught to listen to commands.

At the same time playing and hands on time with your puppy is a must. They need a minimum 20 minutes of this a day and it is wise to incorporate checking their ears and paws for fleas, abrasions, discolored skin or any other sign of infection such as puss or maggots. Such a regular hands on petting exploration will keep your puppy both healthy and happy. Never postpone getting them their shots as soon as the vet says they are old enough. Parvo and Distemper do not wait – and neither should you.

Your puppy should be bathed once a month and care needs to be taken to see that no shampoo or soap gets into their eyes, ears, nose or mouth. Its advisable to not pour water on their face to avoid this. Keep a track of their breath. If it begins to smell bad some regular brushings every few days should be administered with a very small amount of salt mixed with water or better still with a dental cleaning kit such as the Sentry Petrodex Dental Kit for Dogs

Toys and Dog Snacks can be used to make your puppy more intelligent and obedient. They can prove very effective tools in training and can help keep the playfulness and activity of a puppy alive in your dog well beyond their childhood years. The range of toys and treats we carry for this purpose can be found here:

We hope these tips have been helpful and informative and welcome any comments or questions that you may have.

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PetPeople.pk has been launched as Pakistan’s very first online Pet Store focusing on the sale of pet care products. Our aim is to facilitate PetParents by delivering all they need for their pets to their doorstep!